Overview of Lost Languages:
Ancient societies recorded history, literature, and sacred texts using two of the oldest writing systems in the world: Egyptian hieroglyphs and cuneiform. Despite the fact that both languages eventually became less widely spoken, their recovery and decipherment have yielded important insights into ancient cultures.
The Value of Analyzing Old Scripts
Historians and archaeologists benefit from knowing vanished languages because
Recreate historical occurrences and social systems.
Interpret old religious and administrative writings.
Conserve language development and cultural heritage.
Describe the ways in which early humans expressed complicated concepts.
The History and Evolution of Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Around 3200 BCE, Egyptian hieroglyphs were employed for historical documents, royal edicts, and religious inscriptions. Over time, the writing changed into Hieratic, a daily cursive version, and then Demotic.
Structure and Writing System Logos: Whole words represented by symbols.
Phonograms are symbols that stand in for syllables or sounds.
Determinatives are symbols that provide meaning to words without ever being spoken.
Writing Direction: Depending on the creative layout, it is usually written top to bottom, left to right, or right to left.
Interpretation of Hieroglyphs
The secret to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphs was the Rosetta Stone, which was found in 1799. The same text was written in Greek, Demotic, and Hieroglyphs, which made it possible for researchers like Jean-François Champollion to decipher the writing in 1822.
☀ (Ra) is a common hieroglyphic symbol for the sun god.
Lord/Lady 🏺 (Nbt)
🦅 (A): Horus’s emblem, the falcon
House 🚪 (Pr)
🐍 (Dj): Snake, signifying phrases associated with protection or danger
The History and Development of Cuneiform Writing
The first known writing system is cuneiform, which the Sumerians created in 3100 BCE. Later, the Akkadians, Babylonians, and Assyrians modified it. It began as pictography and developed into wedge-shaped impressions created with a stylus on clay tablets.
System of Structure and Writing
Early symbols for objects were called pictographs (e.g., 🌞 for sun).
Syllabic writing uses symbols to stand in for individual syllables rather than entire words.
Semantic Signs: Word category indicators that resemble Egyptian determinatives.
Interpretation of Cuneiform
In the 19th century, researchers like Henry Rawlinson interpreted cuneiform by examining the Behistun Inscription, a multilingual inscription in Babylonian Cuneiform, Elamite, and Old Persian.
Typical Cuneiform Symbols: Water (A)
𒂗𒆤 (Lugal) – King
ϒ�� (Dingir): God
𒄑 (Ka): Speech, mouth
The name of the god Ram is 撊�撀� (Ra-am).
The Heritage of Lost Languages:
Even though Egyptian hieroglyphs and cuneiform are no longer used in everyday life, they are nonetheless important for linguistic and historical research. They influence contemporary archaeology and history studies by revealing information about ancient communities, religious beliefs, and administration.
Understanding and Conserving Old Scripts:
Examine inscriptions using digital tools and internet resources.
See the original inscriptions by visiting museums that house old items.
Take part in archaeological excursions or scholarly study.
We may preserve the information and stories of old civilizations for future generations by studying these forgotten languages.